Stevia – a tooth- and figure-friendly high-intensity sweetener

On 2nd December 2011, the EU approved stevia as food additive E960 throughout Europe. Within the legal limits, the sweet herb from Paraguay may now also be added to food. Nevertheless, TÜV SÜD's food expert Dr Andreas Daxenberger recommends that consumers read food labels thoroughly and look out for the percentage of the natural sweetener contained in food. However, stevia is only of limited use in easter baking.


The publication of Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1131/2011 marks the end of an EU approval process that has gone on for decades. In April 2010, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) presented an expert opinion declaring an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the natural sweetener stevia at 4 mg per kg of body weight per day. According to this opinion, the acceptable daily intake of stevia would be roughly 270 mg for a woman with an average weight of 67 kg, and around 330 mg for a man with an average weight of 82 kg. "To date, scientific safety studies have not supplied any proof that stevia has any mutagenic, carcinogenic or teratogenic effects or affects fertility", explains Dr Daxenberger. The EU experts have also agreed on maximum amounts in food products. For example, the maximum permitted level of steviol glycosides is 100 mg/kg in fermented food products, 200 mg/kg in jams and 2,000-3,300 mg/kg in chewing gum.

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